Editing David Bowie (section)

==Music career==

===1962–1967: Early career to debut album<span class="anchor" id="The Lower Third"></span>===
[[File:David Bowie (1967).png|thumb|upright|alt=A close-up of a man looking to the camera|A trade ad photo of Bowie in 1967]]
Bowie formed his first band, the Konrads, in 1962 at the age of 15. Playing guitar-based [[rock and roll]] at local youth gatherings and weddings, the Konrads had a varying line-up of between four and eight members, Underwood among them.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=28}} When Bowie left the technical school the following year, he informed his parents of his intention to become a pop star. His mother arranged his employment as an electrician's mate. Frustrated by his bandmates' limited aspirations, Bowie left the Konrads and joined another band, the King Bees. He wrote to entrepreneur [[John Bloom (businessman)|John Bloom]] inviting him to "do for us what [[Brian Epstein]] has done for [[the Beatles]]—and make another million." Bloom did not respond to the offer, but his referral to [[Dick James]]'s partner Leslie Conn led to Bowie's first personal management contract.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=29–30}}

Conn quickly began to promote Bowie. His debut single, "[[Liza Jane (David Bowie song)|Liza Jane]]", credited to Davie Jones with the King Bees, was not commercially successful.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=166–167}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chaps. 1–2}} Dissatisfied with the King Bees and their repertoire of [[Howlin' Wolf]] and [[Willie Dixon]] covers, Bowie quit the band less than a month later to join the Manish Boys, another blues outfit, who incorporated folk and soul—"I used to dream of being their [[Mick Jagger]]", he recalled.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=29–30}} Their cover of [[Bobby Bland]]'s "[[I Pity the Fool]]" was no more successful than "Liza Jane", and Bowie soon moved on again to join the Lower Third, a blues trio strongly influenced by [[the Who]]. "[[You've Got a Habit of Leaving]]" fared no better, signalling the end of Conn's contract. Declaring that he would exit the pop music world "to study mime at [[Sadler's Wells]]", Bowie nevertheless remained with the Lower Third. His new manager, Ralph Horton, later instrumental in his transition to solo artist, helped secure him a contract with [[Pye Records]]. Publicist [[Tony Hatch]] signed Bowie on the basis that he wrote his own songs.{{sfn|Trynka|2011|pp=65–66}} Dissatisfied with Davy (and Davie) Jones, which in the mid-1960s invited confusion with [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]] of [[the Monkees]], he took on the stage name David Bowie after the 19th-century American pioneer [[James Bowie]] and [[Bowie knife|the knife he had popularised]].{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=64–67}}{{sfn|Trynka|2011|pp=54–59}}{{sfn|Buckley|2000|p=33}} His first release under the name was the January 1966 single "[[Can't Help Thinking About Me]]", recorded with the Lower Third.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=55–57}} It flopped like its predecessors.{{sfn|Trynka|2011|pp=69–70}}

Bowie departed the Lower Third after the single's release, partly due to Horton's influence,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=55–57}} and released two more singles for Pye, "[[Do Anything You Say]]" and "[[I Dig Everything]]", both of which featured a new band called the Buzz, before signing with [[Deram Records]].{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chaps. 1–2}} Around this time Bowie also joined [[the Riot Squad]]; their recordings, which included one of Bowie's original songs and material by [[the Velvet Underground]], went unreleased. [[Kenneth Pitt]], introduced by Horton, took over as Bowie's manager.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=35–39}} His April 1967 solo single, "[[The Laughing Gnome]]", on which speeded-up and high-pitched vocals were used to portray the gnome, failed to chart. Released six weeks later, his album debut, ''[[David Bowie (1967 album)|David Bowie]]'', an amalgam of pop, [[Psychedelic rock|psychedelia]] and [[music hall]], met the same fate. It was his last release for two years.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=41–42}} In September, Bowie recorded "[[Let Me Sleep Beside You]]" and "[[Karma Man]]", both rejected by Deram and left unreleased until 1970. The tracks marked the beginning of Bowie's working relationship with producer [[Tony Visconti]] which, with large gaps, lasted for the rest of Bowie's career.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=146, 157}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 2}}

=== 1968–1971: ''Space Oddity'' to ''Hunky Dory'' ===
{{anchor|Hermione Farthingale}}
Studying the dramatic arts under [[Lindsay Kemp]], from [[avant-garde]] theatre and [[mime]] to [[commedia dell'arte]], Bowie became immersed in the creation of personae to present to the world. Satirising life in a British prison, his composition "Over the Wall We Go" became a 1967 single for [[Paul Nicholas|Oscar]]; another Bowie song, "[[Silly Boy Blue]]", was released by [[Billy Fury]] the following year.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=46}} Playing acoustic guitar, Hermione Farthingale formed a group with Bowie and guitarist John Hutchinson named Feathers; between September 1968 and early 1969 the trio gave a few concerts combining folk, [[Merseybeat]], poetry and mime.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=49–52}}

After the break-up with Farthingale, Bowie moved in with Mary Finnigan as her lodger.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=53}} In February and March 1969, he undertook a short tour with [[Marc Bolan]]'s duo [[T. Rex (band)|Tyrannosaurus Rex]], as third on the bill, performing a mime act.{{sfn|Paytress|2009|p=199}} Continuing the divergence from rock and roll and blues begun by his work with Farthingale, Bowie joined forces with Finnigan, Christina Ostrom and Barrie Jackson to run a folk club on Sunday nights at the Three Tuns pub in [[Beckenham]] High Street.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=53}} The club was influenced by the [[Arts Lab]] movement, developing into the [[Beckenham Arts Lab]] and became extremely popular. The Arts Lab hosted a free festival in a local park, the subject of his song "[[Memory of a Free Festival]]".{{sfn|McKay|1996|p=188}}

[[File:David Bowie Plaque, Trident Studios, London copy.jpg|thumb|Plaque at [[Trident Studios]] in London marking where Bowie recorded six albums between 1969 and 1974]]
Pitt attempted to introduce Bowie to a larger audience with the ''[[Love You till Tuesday (film)|Love You till Tuesday]]'' film, which went unreleased until 1984.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=636–638}} Feeling alienated over his unsuccessful career and deeply affected by his break-up, Bowie wrote "[[Space Oddity]]", a tale about a fictional astronaut named [[Major Tom]].{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=255–260}}{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=104}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 3}} The song earned him a contract with [[Mercury Records]] and its UK subsidiary [[Philips Records|Philips]], who issued "Space Oddity" as a single on 11&nbsp;July 1969, five days ahead of the [[Apollo 11]] launch.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=255–260}} Reaching the top five in the UK,{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=49–50}} it was his first and last hit for three years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parker |first=Lyndsey |authorlink = Lyndsey Parker| url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-odd-story-of-space-oddity-how-a-novelty-record-launched-david-bowie-into-the-stratosphere-50-years-ago-170000604.html |title=The odd story of 'Space Oddity': How a 'cheap shot' 'novelty record' launched David Bowie into the stratosphere 50 years ago |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |date=10 July 2019 |access-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711182011/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-odd-story-of-space-oddity-how-a-novelty-record-launched-david-bowie-into-the-stratosphere-50-years-ago-170000604.html |archive-date=11 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bowie's second album followed in November. Originally issued in the UK as ''[[David Bowie (1969 album)|David Bowie]]'', it caused some confusion with its predecessor of the same name, and the US release was instead titled ''Man of Words/Man of Music''; it was reissued internationally in 1972 by [[RCA Records]] as ''Space Oddity''. Featuring philosophical post-[[hippie]] lyrics on peace, love and morality, its acoustic folk rock occasionally fortified by harder rock, the album was not a commercial success at the time.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=54–60}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=169–171}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=338}}

Bowie met [[Angela Barnett]] in April 1969. They married within a year. Her impact on him was immediate—he wrote his 1970 single "[[The Prettiest Star]]" for her{{sfn|Spitz|2009|pp=131–132}}—and her involvement in his career was far-reaching, leaving Pitt with limited influence which he found frustrating.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=54–60}} Having established himself as a solo artist with "Space Oddity", Bowie desired a full-time band he could record with and could relate to personally.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=62–63}} The band Bowie assembled comprised John Cambridge, a drummer Bowie met at the Arts Lab, Visconti on bass and [[Mick Ronson]] on electric guitar. Known as [[Hype (David Bowie band)|Hype]], the bandmates created characters for themselves and wore elaborate costumes that prefigured the glam style of the Spiders from Mars. After a disastrous opening gig at the [[Roundhouse (venue)|London Roundhouse]], they reverted to a configuration presenting Bowie as a solo artist.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=62–63}}{{sfn|Buckley|2000|pp=89–90}} Their initial studio work was marred by a heated disagreement between Bowie and Cambridge over the latter's drumming style, leading to his replacement by [[Mick Woodmansey]].{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=67}} Not long after, Bowie fired his manager and replaced him with [[Tony Defries]]. This resulted in years of litigation that concluded with Bowie having to pay Pitt compensation.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=67}}

The studio sessions continued and resulted in Bowie's third album, ''[[The Man Who Sold the World (album)|The Man Who Sold the World]]'' (1970), which contained references to schizophrenia, paranoia and delusion.<ref>{{cite web|first=Karl|last=Smith|title=Random Ultra-Violence: Simon Critchley On David Bowie|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/16414-david-bowie-simon-critchley-biography-extract-2|work=[[The Quietus]] |date=6 October 2014|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141006214717/http://thequietus.com/articles/16414-david-bowie-simon-critchley-biography-extract-2|url-status=live}}</ref> It represented a departure from the acoustic guitar and folk rock style established by his second album,{{sfn|Perone|2012|p=90}} to a more [[hard rock]] sound.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=106}} Mercury financed a coast-to-coast publicity tour across the US in which Bowie, between January and February 1971, was interviewed by media. Exploiting his [[androgynous]] appearance, the original cover of the UK version unveiled two months later depicted Bowie wearing a dress. He took the dress with him and wore it during interviews, to the approval of critics&nbsp;– including ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[John Mendelsohn (musician)|John Mendelsohn]], who described him as "ravishing, almost disconcertingly reminiscent of [[Lauren Bacall]]".{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=73–74}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=338–343}}

[[File:Tony Defries et David Bowie.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man with long blonde hair and a man with an afro|Bowie and [[Tony Defries]] at ''[[Andy Warhol's Pork]]'' at [[Roundhouse (venue)|London's Roundhouse]] in 1971]]
During the tour, Bowie's observation of two seminal American [[proto-punk]] artists led him to develop a concept that eventually found form in the Ziggy Stardust character: a melding of the persona of [[Iggy Pop]] with the music of [[Lou Reed]], producing "the ultimate pop idol".{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=73–74}} Bowie later stated, "It's not who does it first, it's who does it second."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reesman |first=Bryan |date=7 June 2024 |title=2 Bon Jovi Hits and 1 Deep Cut Cribbed from Other Songs |url=https://americansongwriter.com/2-bon-jovi-hits-and-1-deep-cut-cribbed-from-other-songs/ |access-date=6 March 2025 |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US}}</ref> A girlfriend recalled his "scrawling notes on a cocktail napkin about a crazy rock star named Iggy or Ziggy", and on his return to England he declared his intention to create a character "who looks like he's landed from Mars".{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=73–74}} The "Stardust" surname was a tribute to the "[[Legendary Stardust Cowboy]]", whose record he was given during the tour. Bowie later covered "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Space Ship" on 2002's ''[[Heathen (David Bowie album)|Heathen]]''.{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=177}}

''[[Hunky Dory]]'' (1971) found Visconti supplanted in both roles by [[Ken Scott]] producing and [[Trevor Bolder]] on bass. It again featured a stylistic shift towards [[art pop]] and melodic [[pop rock]],<ref>{{harvnb|Sullivan|2017|p=494}}; {{harvnb|Doggett|2012|p=11}}.</ref> with light fare tracks such as "[[Kooks (song)|Kooks]]", a song written for his son, [[Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones]], born on 30&nbsp;May.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=95–99}} Elsewhere, the album explored more serious subjects, and found Bowie paying unusually direct homage to his influences with "[[Song for Bob Dylan]]", "[[Andy Warhol (song)|Andy Warhol]]" and "[[Queen Bitch]]", the latter a Velvet Underground pastiche.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=85–86}} His first release through RCA,{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=174}} it was a commercial failure,{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=104}} partly due lack of promotion from the label.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=348–349}} [[Peter Noone]] of [[Herman's Hermits]] covered the album's track  "[[Oh! You Pretty Things]]", which reached number 12 in the UK.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=202–204}}

===1972–1974: Glam rock era===
[[File:David-Bowie Early.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|alt=A shot of a man with an acoustic guitar taken from below|Bowie during the [[Ziggy Stardust Tour]], 1972]]
Dressed in a striking costume, his hair dyed reddish-brown, Bowie launched his Ziggy Stardust stage show with [[the Spiders from Mars]]—Ronson, Bolder, and Woodmansey—at the Toby Jug pub in [[Tolworth]] in [[Kingston upon Thames]] on 10&nbsp;February 1972.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=135–136}} The show was hugely popular, catapulting him to stardom as he toured the UK over the next six months and creating, as described by David Buckley, a "cult of Bowie" that was "unique—its influence lasted longer and has been more creative than perhaps almost any other force within pop fandom."{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=135–136}} ''[[The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars]]'' (1972), combining the hard rock elements of ''The Man Who Sold the World'' with the lighter experimental rock and pop of ''Hunky Dory'', was released in June and was considered one of the defining albums of [[glam rock]]. "[[Starman (song)|Starman]]", issued as an April single ahead of the album, was to cement Bowie's UK breakthrough: both single and album charted rapidly following his July ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' performance of the song. The album, which remained in the chart for two years, was soon joined there by the six-month-old ''Hunky Dory''. At the same time, the non-album single "[[John, I'm Only Dancing]]" and "[[All the Young Dudes]]", a song he wrote and produced for [[Mott the Hoople]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Why David Bowie gave away All the Young Dudes to Mott the Hoople |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/david-bowie-gave-away-young-10749662 |website=Wales Online |date=18 January 2016 |access-date=12 October 2019 |archive-date=12 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012143448/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/david-bowie-gave-away-young-10749662 |url-status=live}}</ref> were successful in the UK. The [[Ziggy Stardust Tour]] continued to the United States.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=93–95}}

Bowie contributed backing vocals, keyboards and guitar to Reed's 1972 solo breakthrough ''[[Transformer (Lou Reed album)|Transformer]]'', co-producing the album with Ronson.{{sfn|Buckley|2000|p=156}} The following year, Bowie co-produced and [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixed]] [[the Stooges]]' album ''[[Raw Power]]'' alongside Iggy Pop.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-america-inspired-david-bowie-to-kill-ziggy-stardust-with-aladdin-sane-230827/|title=How America Inspired David Bowie to Kill Ziggy Stardust With 'Aladdin Sane'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=13 April 2016|access-date=14 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514165306/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-america-inspired-david-bowie-to-kill-ziggy-stardust-with-aladdin-sane-230827/|archive-date=14 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> His own ''[[Aladdin Sane]]'' (1973) was his first UK number-one album. Described by Bowie as "Ziggy goes to America", it contained songs he wrote while travelling to and across the US during the earlier part of the Ziggy tour, which now continued to Japan to promote the new album. ''Aladdin Sane'' spawned the UK top five singles "[[The Jean Genie]]" and "[[Drive-In Saturday]]".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=361–364}}{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=108}}

Bowie's love of acting led to his total immersion in the characters he created for his music. "Offstage I'm a robot. Onstage I achieve emotion. It's probably why I prefer dressing up as Ziggy to being David." With satisfaction came severe personal difficulties: acting the same role over an extended period, it became impossible for him to separate Ziggy Stardust—and later, the Thin White Duke—from his own character offstage. Ziggy, Bowie said, "wouldn't leave me alone for years. That was when it all started to go sour&nbsp;... My whole personality was affected. It became very dangerous. I really did have doubts about my sanity."{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=106–107}} His later Ziggy shows, which included songs from both ''Ziggy Stardust'' and ''Aladdin Sane'', were ultra-theatrical affairs filled with shocking stage moments, such as Bowie stripping down to a [[sumo]] wrestling loincloth or simulating [[oral sex]] with Ronson's guitar.{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|p=7}} Bowie toured and gave press conferences as Ziggy before a dramatic and abrupt on-stage "retirement" at London's [[Hammersmith Odeon]] on 3&nbsp;July 1973.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–167}} Footage from the final show was incorporated for the film ''[[Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (film)|Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars]]'', which premiered in 1979 and commercially released in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phfilms.com/films/ziggy-stardust-and-the-spiders-from-mars|title=Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars|website=phfilms.com|publisher=Pennebaker Hegedus Films|access-date=3 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004192802/https://phfilms.com/films/ziggy-stardust-and-the-spiders-from-mars/|archive-date=4 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Listen|type=music|filename=David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust.ogg|title="Ziggy Stardust"|description=Sample of "[[Ziggy Stardust (song)|Ziggy Stardust]]" (1972). A pioneer of [[glam rock]], Bowie performed as the character Ziggy Stardust, backed by the Spiders from Mars.}}
After breaking up the Spiders, Bowie attempted to move on from his Ziggy persona. His back catalogue was now highly sought after: ''The Man Who Sold the World'' had been re-released in 1972 along with ''Space Oddity''. ''Hunky Dory''{{'s}} "[[Life on Mars?]]" was released in June 1973 and peaked at number three on the [[UK Singles Chart]]. Entering the same chart in September, his 1967 novelty record "The Laughing Gnome" reached number six.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=163}} ''[[Pin Ups]]'', a collection of covers of his 1960s favourites, followed in October, producing a UK number three hit in his version of [[the McCoys]]'s "[[Sorrow (The McCoys song)|Sorrow]]" and itself peaking at number one, making Bowie the best-selling act of 1973 in the UK. It brought the total number of Bowie albums concurrently on the UK chart to six.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=115}}

===1974–1976: "Plastic soul" and the Thin White Duke===
[[File:David Bowie - TopPop 1974 08.png|thumb|left|alt=A man with an eyepatch playing a guitar|Bowie performing "[[Rebel Rebel]]" on ''[[TopPop]]'' in February 1974]]
Bowie moved to the US in 1974, initially staying in New York City before settling in Los Angeles.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=3}} ''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' (1974), parts of which found him heading towards [[Soul music|soul]] and [[funk]], was the product of two distinct ideas: a musical based on a wild future in a post-[[apocalypse|apocalyptic]] city, and setting [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' to music.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=180–183}} The album went to number one in the UK, spawning the hits "[[Rebel Rebel]]" and "[[Diamond Dogs (song)|Diamond Dogs]]", and number five in the US. The supporting [[Diamond Dogs Tour]] visited cities in North America between June and December 1974. Choreographed by [[Toni Basil]], and lavishly produced with theatrical special effects, the high-budget stage production was filmed by [[Alan Yentob]]. The resulting documentary, ''[[Cracked Actor]]'', featured a pasty and emaciated Bowie: the tour coincided with his slide from heavy [[cocaine]] use into addiction, producing severe physical debilitation, [[paranoia]] and emotional problems.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=204–205}} He later commented that the accompanying live album, ''[[David Live]]'', ought to have been titled "David Bowie Is Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory".{{sfn|Egan|2015|p=[https://archive.org/details/bowieonbowieinte0000unse/page/66/mode/2up 66]}} ''David Live'' nevertheless solidified Bowie's status as a superstar, charting at number two in the UK and number eight in the US. It also spawned a UK number ten hit in a cover of [[Eddie Floyd]]'s "[[Knock on Wood (Eddie Floyd song)|Knock on Wood]]". After a break in [[Philadelphia]], where Bowie recorded new material, the tour resumed with a new emphasis on soul.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=128}}

[[File:Bowie-DD-1974-3.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A man with a robe singing into a microphone|Bowie performing on the [[Diamond Dogs Tour]], July 1974]]
The fruit of the Philadelphia recording sessions was ''[[Young Americans]]'' (1975). Sandford writes, "Over the years, most British rockers had tried, one way or another, to become black-by-extension. Few had succeeded as Bowie did now."{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=138}} The album's sound, which Bowie identified as "[[plastic soul]]", constituted a radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees.{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|pp=68–74}} ''Young Americans'' was a commercial success in both the US and the UK and yielded Bowie's first US number one, "[[Fame (David Bowie song)|Fame]]", a collaboration with [[John Lennon]].{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 9}} A re-issue of the 1969 single "Space Oddity" became Bowie's first number-one hit in the UK a few months after "Fame" achieved the same in the US.{{sfn|Roberts|2001|p=120}} He mimed "Fame" and his November single "[[Golden Years (David Bowie song)|Golden Years]]" on the US variety show ''[[Soul Train]]'', earning him the distinction of being one of the first white artists to appear on the programme.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=565–566}} The same year, Bowie fired Defries as his manager. At the culmination of the ensuing months-long legal dispute, he watched, as described by Sandford, "millions of dollars of his future earnings being surrendered" in what were "uniquely generous terms for Defries", then "shut himself up in West 20th Street, where for a week his howls could be heard through the locked attic door."{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=135–136}} Michael Lippman, Bowie's lawyer during the negotiations, became his new manager, but was fired the following year.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=137, 153}}

[[File:David Bowie and Cher 1975.JPG|thumb|left|alt=A man with a woman holding a microphone|Bowie performs with [[Cher]] on the variety show ''[[Cher (TV series)|Cher]]'', 1975.]]
''[[Station to Station]]'' (1976), produced by Bowie and Harry Maslin,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=380–382}} introduced a new Bowie persona, [[the Thin White Duke]] of its [[Station to Station (song)|title track]]. Visually, the character was an extension of Thomas Jerome Newton, the extraterrestrial being he portrayed in the film ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' the same year.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=238}} Developing the funk and soul of ''Young Americans'', ''Station to Station''{{'}}s synthesiser-heavy arrangements were influenced by [[Electronic music|electronic]] and German [[krautrock]].{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|pp=78–80}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=380–382}} Bowie's cocaine addiction during this period was at its peak; he often did not sleep for three to four days at a time during ''Station to Station''{{'s}} recording sessions and later said he remembered "only flashes" of its making.{{sfn|Spitz|2009|pp=259–266}} His sanity—by his own later admission—had become twisted from cocaine;{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=204–205}} he referenced the drug directly in the album's ten-minute title track.{{sfn|Wilcken|2005|pp=7–8}} The album's release was followed by a {{frac|3|1|2}}-month-long concert tour, the [[Isolar – 1976 Tour|Isolar Tour]], of Europe and North America. The core band that coalesced to record the album and tour—rhythm guitarist [[Carlos Alomar]], bassist [[George Murray (musician)|George Murray]] and drummer [[Dennis Davis]]—continued as a stable unit for the remainder of the 1970s. Bowie performed on stage as the Thin White Duke.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=566–568}}{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|pp=78–80}}

[[File:David Bowie 1976.jpg|thumb|alt=A man leaning against a piano holding a microphone|Bowie as [[the Thin White Duke]] at [[Maple Leaf Gardens]], Toronto, 1976]]
The tour was highly successful but mired in political controversy. Bowie was quoted as saying that "Britain could benefit from a Fascist leader", and was detained by customs on the Russian/Polish border for possessing [[Nazi]] paraphernalia.{{sfn|Buckley|2000|pp=289–291}} Matters came to a head in London in May in what became known as the "[[London Victoria station|Victoria Station]] incident". Arriving in an open-top [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] convertible, Bowie waved to the crowd in a gesture that some alleged was a [[Nazi salute]], which was captured on camera and published in ''[[NME]]''. Bowie said the photographer caught him in mid-wave.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Paytress|first=Mark|title=The Controversial Homecoming|journal=Mojo Classic|date=January 2007|issue=60 Years of Bowie|page=64}}</ref> He later blamed his pro-fascism comments and his behaviour during the period on his cocaine addiction, the character of the Thin White Duke{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|p=11}} and his life in Los Angeles, a city he later said "should be wiped off the face of the Earth".<ref>{{cite news|first=Angus|last=MacKinnon|title=The future isn't what it used to be David Bowie talks about loneliness, insecurity and myth. And the dangers of messing with Major Tom|url=http://www.bowiegoldenyears.com/articles/800913-nme.html|work=[[NME]]|date=13 September 1980|access-date=30 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106013020/http://www.bowiegoldenyears.com/articles/800913-nme.html|archive-date=6 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> He later apologised for these statements, and throughout the 1980s and 1990s criticised racism in European politics and the American music industry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Stereo |title=On Race, David Bowie Delved Deep into the Darkness and Came Back Human |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/on-race-david-bowie-delved-deep-into-the-darkness-and-came-back-human |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=12 January 2016 |access-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607184703/http://www.thedailybeast.com/on-race-david-bowie-delved-deep-into-the-darkness-and-came-back-human |archive-date=7 June 2017}}</ref> Nevertheless, his comments on fascism, as well as [[Eric Clapton]]'s alcohol-fuelled denunciations of Pakistani immigrants in 1976, led to the establishment of [[Rock Against Racism]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |title=Flashback: The Clash Rock Against Racism in 1978 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-the-clash-rock-against-racism-in-1978-20140513 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=13 May 2014 |access-date=21 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208030917/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-the-clash-rock-against-racism-in-1978-20140513 |archive-date=8 February 2018}}</ref>

===1976–1979: Berlin era===
{{main|Berlin Trilogy}}
[[File:Hauptstraße 155 Berlin-Schöneberg.jpg|thumb|left|alt=An apartment building|Apartment building at Hauptstraße 155, [[Schöneberg]], Berlin, where Bowie lived from 1976 to 1978]]
In August 1976, Bowie moved to [[West Berlin]] with his old friend Iggy Pop to rid themselves of their drug addictions and escape the spotlight.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=384–389}}{{sfn|Seabrook|2008|pp=82–88}}{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=257}} Bowie's interest in German [[krautrock]] and the [[Ambient music|ambient]] works of multi-instrumentalist [[Brian Eno]] culminated in the first of three albums, co-produced with Visconti, that became known as the [[Berlin Trilogy]].{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=266–267, 384}}{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=149}} The album, ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]'' (1977), was recorded in France and took influence from krautrock and [[experimental music]] and featured both short song-fragments and ambient instrumentals.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gallucci|first=Michael|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-low/|title=40 Years Ago: David Bowie Cleans Up and Branches Out on 'Low'|website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|date=14 January 2017|access-date=29 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629043034/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-low/|archive-date=29 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Before its recording, Bowie produced Iggy Pop's debut solo album ''[[The Idiot (album)|The Idiot]]'', described by Pegg as "a stepping stone between ''Station to Station'' and ''Low''".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=487–488}} ''Low'' was completed in November, but left unreleased for three months. RCA did not see the album as commercially viable and was expecting another success following ''Young Americans'' and ''Station to Station''.{{sfn|Spitz|2009|pp=279–282}}{{sfn|Seabrook|2008|p=116}} Bowie's former manager Tony Defries, who maintained a significant financial interest in Bowie's affairs, had tried to prevent the album from being released.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=384–389}} Upon its release in January 1977, ''Low'' yielded the UK number three single "[[Sound and Vision]]", and its own performance surpassed that of ''Station to Station'' in the UK chart, where it reached number two.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=272}} Bowie himself did not promote it,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=384–389}} instead touring with Pop as his keyboardist throughout March and April before recording Pop's follow-up, ''[[Lust for Life (Iggy Pop album)|Lust for Life]]''.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 2}}

{{Listen|type=music|filename=David Bowie - Heroes.ogg|title="{{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}"|description=Sample of "[["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|{{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}]]" (1977). One of the ambient rock songs to emerge from Bowie's [[Berlin Trilogy]] era, "{{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}" gained lasting popularity.}}
Echoing ''Low''{{'}}s minimalist, instrumental approach, the second of the trilogy, ''[["Heroes" (David Bowie album)|"Heroes"]]'' (1977), incorporated pop and rock to a greater extent, seeing Bowie joined by guitarist [[Robert Fripp]].{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|pp=91–92}} It was the only album recorded entirely in Berlin.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dombal|first=Ryan|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21487-heroes/|title=David Bowie: ''"Heroes"'' Album Review|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=22 January 2015|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124031118/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21487-heroes/|archive-date=24 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Incorporating ambient sounds from a variety of sources including white noise generators, synthesisers and [[Koto (instrument)|koto]], the album was another hit, reaching number three in the UK. Its [["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|title track]] was released in both German and French and, though only reaching number 24 in the UK singles chart, later became one of his best-known tracks.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=111–112}} In contrast to ''Low'',{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=282}} Bowie promoted ''"Heroes"'' extensively, performing the title track on Marc Bolan's television show ''[[Marc (TV series)|Marc]]'', and again two days later for [[Bing Crosby]]'s final [[CBS]] television Christmas special, when he joined Crosby in "[[Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy]]", a version of "[[The Little Drummer Boy]]" with a new, [[contrapuntal]] verse.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=391}} RCA belatedly released the recording as a single five years later in 1982, charting in the UK at number three.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 2}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=208–209}}

[[File:David bowie 05061978 01 150.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|alt=A man on stage singing into a microphone|Bowie performing in Oslo, Norway, 1978]]
After completing ''Low'' and ''"Heroes"'', Bowie spent much of 1978 on the [[Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour|Isolar II world tour]], bringing the music of the first two Berlin Trilogy albums to almost a million people during 70 concerts in 12 countries. By now he had broken his drug addiction; Buckley writes that Isolar II was "Bowie's first tour for five years in which he had probably not anaesthetised himself with copious quantities of cocaine before taking the stage.&nbsp;... Without the oblivion that drugs had brought, he was now in a healthy enough mental condition to want to make friends."{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=293}} Recordings from the tour made up the live album ''[[Stage (David Bowie album)|Stage]]'', released the same year.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=189}} Bowie also recorded narration for an adaptation of [[Sergei Prokofiev]]'s classical composition ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'', which was released as an [[David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf|album]] in May 1978.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=489}}{{sfn|Seabrook|2008|pp=191–192}}

The final piece in what Bowie called his "[[triptych]]", ''[[Lodger (album)|Lodger]]'' (1979), eschewed the minimalist, ambient nature of its two predecessors, making a partial return to the drum- and guitar-based rock and pop of his pre-Berlin era. The result was a complex mixture of [[New wave music|new wave]] and [[world music]], in places incorporating [[Phrygian dominant scale|Hijaz]] [[Musical scale#Non-Western scales|non-Western scales]]. Some tracks were composed using Eno's [[Oblique Strategies]] cards: "Boys Keep Swinging" entailed band members swapping instruments, "Move On" used the chords from Bowie's early composition "All the Young Dudes" played backwards, and "Red Money" took backing tracks from ''The Idiot''{{'s}} "Sister Midnight".{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|pp=102–107}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 3}} The album was recorded in Switzerland and New York City.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=394–396}} Ahead of its release, RCA's Mel Ilberman described it as "a concept album that portrays the Lodger as a homeless wanderer, shunned and victimized by life's pressures and technology." ''Lodger'' reached number four in the UK and number 20 in the US, and yielded the UK hit singles "[[Boys Keep Swinging]]" and "[[DJ (David Bowie song)|DJ]]".{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=281}}{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=191–192}} Towards the end of the year, Bowie and Angie initiated divorce proceedings, and after months of court battles the marriage was ended in early 1980.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=197}} The three albums were later adapted into classical music symphonies by American composer [[Philip Glass]] for his [[Symphony No. 1 (Glass)|first]], [[Symphony No. 4 (Glass)|fourth]] and [[Symphony No. 12 (Glass)|twelfth]] symphonies in 1992, 1997 and 2019, respectively.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=490–493}} Glass praised Bowie's gift for creating "fairly complex pieces of music, masquerading as simple pieces".{{sfn|Thomson|1993|p=xiii}}

===1980–1988: New Romantic and pop era===
''[[Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)]]'' (1980) produced the number one single "[[Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song)|Ashes to Ashes]]", featuring the textural guitar-synthesiser work of [[Chuck Hammer]] and revisiting the character of Major Tom from "Space Oddity". The song gave international exposure to the underground [[New Romantic]] movement when Bowie visited the London club "Blitz"—the main New Romantic hangout—to recruit several of the regulars (including [[Steve Strange]] of the band [[Visage (band)|Visage]]) to act in the accompanying video, renowned as one of the most innovative of all time.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=27–30}} While ''Scary Monsters'' used principles established by the Berlin albums, it was considered by critics to be far more direct musically and lyrically. The album's hard rock edge included conspicuous guitar contributions from Fripp and [[Pete Townshend]].{{sfn|Carr|Murray|1981|pp=108–114}} Topping the UK Albums Chart for the first time since ''Diamond Dogs'',{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=204}} Buckley writes that with ''Scary Monsters'', Bowie achieved "the perfect balance" of creativity and mainstream success.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=321–322}}

Bowie paired with [[Queen (band)|Queen]] in 1981 for a one-off single release, "[[Under Pressure]]". The duet was a hit, becoming Bowie's third UK number-one single.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=291}} Bowie was given the lead role in the [[BBC]]'s 1982 televised adaptation of [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s play ''[[Baal (play)|Baal]]''. Coinciding with its transmission, a five-track [[EP]] of songs from the play was released as ''[[Baal (EP)|Baal]]''.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 4}} In March 1982, Bowie's [[Cat People (Putting Out Fire)|title song]] for [[Paul Schrader]]'s film ''[[Cat People (1982 film)|Cat People]]'' was released as a single. A collaboration with [[Giorgio Moroder]], it became a minor US hit and charted in the UK top 30.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=208, 211–212}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=57}} The same year, he departed RCA, having grown increasingly dissatisfied with them,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=397–401}} and signed a new contract with [[EMI America Records]] for a reported $17&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=334–338}} His 1975 severance settlement with Defries also ended in September.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|p=389}}

[[File:Bowie 1983 serious moonlight.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|alt=A man with blonde hair and a white suit holding a microphone|[[Serious Moonlight Tour]], 1983]]
Bowie reached his peak of popularity and commercial success in 1983 with ''[[Let's Dance (David Bowie album)|Let's Dance]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Mick |title=David Bowie interview from 1996: 'I have done just about everything that it's possible to do' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/david-bowie-interview-from-1996-i-have-done-just-about-everythin/ |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=11 January 2016 |access-date=14 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111023653/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/david-bowie-interview-from-1996-i-have-done-just-about-everythin/ |archive-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> Co-produced by [[Chic (band)|Chic]]'s [[Nile Rodgers]], the album went platinum in both the UK and the US. Its three singles became top 20 hits in both countries, where its [[Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|title track]] reached number one. "[[Modern Love (David Bowie song)|Modern Love]]" and "[[China Girl (song)|China Girl]]" each made number two in the UK, accompanied by a pair of "absorbing" music videos that Buckley said <blockquote>activated key archetypes in the pop world... 'Let's Dance', with its little narrative surrounding the young [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] couple, targeted 'youth', and 'China Girl', with its bare-bummed (and later partially censored) beach lovemaking scene... was sufficiently sexually provocative to guarantee heavy rotation on MTV.{{sfn|Buckley|2000|p=344}}</blockquote> Then-unknown Texas blues guitarist [[Stevie Ray Vaughan]] guested on the album, featuring prominently on the title track.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=340–341}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=400–404}} ''Let's Dance'' was followed by the six-month [[Serious Moonlight Tour]], which was extremely successful.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=576–582}} At the [[1984 MTV Video Music Awards]] Bowie received two awards including the inaugural [[Video Vanguard Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1984/|title=1984 Video Music Awards|publisher=MTV|access-date=17 August 2016|at=Select "Winners", and then "View all nominees" under the relevant category|archive-date=6 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206065340/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1984/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Tonight (David Bowie album)|Tonight]]'' (1984), another dance-oriented album, found Bowie collaborating with Pop and [[Tina Turner]]. Co-produced by [[Hugh Padgham]], it included a number of cover songs, including three Pop covers and the 1966 [[Beach Boys]] hit "[[God Only Knows]]".{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 5}} The album bore the transatlantic top 10 hit "[[Blue Jean]]", itself the inspiration for the [[Julien Temple]]-directed short film ''[[Jazzin' for Blue Jean]]'', in which Bowie played the dual roles of romantic protagonist Vic and arrogant rock star Screaming Lord Byron.<ref>{{cite web |last=Elder |first=Sean |title=David Bowie: The Man Who Showed the World |url=https://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/21/david-bowie-man-who-showed-world-283172.html |website=[[Newsweek]] |date=9 November 2014 |access-date=16 November 2019 |archive-date=16 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116181450/https://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/21/david-bowie-man-who-showed-world-283172.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The short won Bowie his only non-posthumous [[Grammy Award]] for [[Best Short Form Music Video]].<ref name=59thGA/> In early 1985, Bowie's collaboration with the [[Pat Metheny Group]], "[[This Is Not America]]", for the soundtrack of ''[[The Falcon and the Snowman]]'', was released as a single and became a top 40 hit in the UK and US.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–166}} In July that year, Bowie performed at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] for [[Live Aid]], a multi-venue benefit concert for Ethiopian famine relief.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |title=Flashback: David Bowie Triumphs at Live Aid in 1985 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-david-bowie-triumphs-at-live-aid-in-1985-20160126 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=26 January 2016 |access-date=5 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127202419/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-david-bowie-triumphs-at-live-aid-in-1985-20160126 |archive-date=27 January 2018}}</ref> Bowie and Mick Jagger duetted on a cover of [[Martha and the Vandellas]]' "[[Dancing in the Street]]" as a fundraising single, which went to number one in the UK and number seven in the US; its video premiered during Live Aid.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-best-collaborations-of-all-time-20110810|title=Readers Poll: Best Collaborations of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=10 August 2011|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>

[[File:David Bowie (1987).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=A man sitting on a high-wire chair holding a microphone|Bowie performing during the [[Glass Spider Tour]], 1987]]

Bowie took an acting role in the 1986 film ''[[Absolute Beginners (film)|Absolute Beginners]]'', and his [[Absolute Beginners (David Bowie song)|title song]] rose to number two in the UK charts. He also worked with composer [[Trevor Jones (composer)|Trevor Jones]] and wrote five original songs for the 1986 film ''[[Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth]]'', which he starred in.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 5}} His final solo album of the decade was 1987's ''[[Never Let Me Down]]'', where he ditched the light sound of his previous two albums, instead combining pop rock with a harder rock sound.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 6}} Peaking at number six in the UK, the album yielded the hits "[[Day-In Day-Out]]", "[[Time Will Crawl]]" and "[[Never Let Me Down (David Bowie song)|Never Let Me Down]]". Bowie later described it as his "nadir", calling it "an awful album".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McNair |first=James |title=Tumble & Twirl |magazine=Mojo Classic |date=January 2007 |issue=60 Years of Bowie |page=101}}</ref> He supported the album on the 86-concert [[Glass Spider Tour]].{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=584–588}} The backing band included Peter Frampton on lead guitar. Contemporary critics maligned the tour as overproduced, saying it pandered to the current [[stadium rock]] trends in its special effects and dancing,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fyfe |first=Andy |title=Too Dizzy |magazine=Mojo Classic |date=January 2007 |issue=60 Years of Bowie |pages=88–91}}</ref> although in later years critics acknowledged the tour's strengths and influence on concert tours by other artists, such as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Madonna]] and [[U2]].{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=584–588}}

===1989–1991: Tin Machine===
{{main|Tin Machine}}
Wanting to completely rejuvenate himself following the critical failures of ''Tonight'' and ''Never Let Me Down'',{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=411–412}} Bowie placed his solo career on hold after meeting guitarist [[Reeves Gabrels]] and formed the hard rock quartet [[Tin Machine]]. The line-up was completed by bassist and drummer [[Tony Fox Sales|Tony]] and [[Hunt Sales]], who had played with Bowie on Iggy Pop's ''Lust for Life'' in 1977.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=387}}{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 7}} Although he intended Tin Machine to operate as a democracy, Bowie dominated, both in songwriting and in decision-making.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=274}} The band's 1989 [[Tin Machine (album)|self-titled debut album]] received mixed reviews and,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=414–415}} according to author [[Paul Trynka]], was quickly dismissed as "pompous, dogmatic and dull".{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=492}} EMI complained of "lyrics that preach" as well as "repetitive tunes" and "minimalist or no production".{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=273}} It reached number three in the UK and was supported by a twelve-date [[Tin Machine Tour|tour]].{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=391}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=588–589}}

The tour was a commercial success, but there was growing reluctance—among fans and critics alike—to accept Bowie's presentation as merely a band member.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=394}} A series of Tin Machine singles failed to chart, and Bowie, after a disagreement with EMI, left the label. Like his audience and his critics, Bowie himself became increasingly disaffected with his role as just one member of a band.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=278–279}} Tin Machine began work on a second album, but recording halted while Bowie conducted the seven-month [[Sound+Vision Tour]], which brought him commercial success and acclaim.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=280–286}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=415–417}}

[[File:David Bowie - Zagreb.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A man holding a guitar with his back turned|Bowie in [[Zagreb]] during the [[Sound+Vision Tour]], 1990]]
In October 1990, Bowie and supermodel [[Iman (model)|Iman]] were introduced by a mutual friend. He recalled, "I was naming the children the night we met&nbsp;... it was absolutely immediate." They married in 1992.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=288–289}} Tin Machine resumed work the same month, but their audience and critics, ultimately left disappointed by the first album, showed little interest in a second.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=292}} ''[[Tin Machine II]]'' (1991) was Bowie's first album to miss the UK top 20 in nearly twenty years,{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=408–410}} and was controversial for its cover art. Depicting four ancient nude [[Kouroi]] statues, the new record label, [[Victory Records|Victory]], deemed the cover "a show of wrong, obscene images" and airbrushed the statues' genitalia for the American release.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=415–417}}{{sfn|Sandford|1997|p=292}} Tin Machine toured again, but after the live album ''[[Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby]]'' (1992) failed commercially, Bowie dissolved the band and resumed his solo career.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=594–595}} He continued to collaborate with Gabrels for the rest of the 1990s.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 7}}

===1992–1998: Electronic period===
On 20&nbsp;April 1992, Bowie appeared at [[The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]], following the Queen singer's death the previous year. As well as performing "{{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}" and "All the Young Dudes", he was joined on "Under Pressure" by [[Annie Lennox]], who took Mercury's vocal part; during his appearance, Bowie knelt and recited the [[Lord's Prayer]] at Wembley Stadium.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=298–299}}<ref name="LA Times Mercury">{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Kaye|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-22-ca-497-story.html|title=(Safe) Sex, (No) Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll: A Star-Filled Send-Off to Freddie Mercury|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=22 April 1992|access-date=11 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308222020/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-22-ca-497-story.html|archive-date=8 March 2021}}</ref> Four days later, Bowie and Iman married in Switzerland. Intending to move to Los Angeles, they flew in to search for a suitable property, but found themselves confined to their hotel: the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]] began the day they arrived. They settled in New York instead.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=413–414}}

In 1993, Bowie released his first solo offering since his Tin Machine departure, the soul, jazz and [[hip-hop]] influenced ''[[Black Tie White Noise]]''.{{sfn|Perone|2007|pp=107–112}} Making prominent use of electronic instruments, the album, which reunited Bowie with ''Let's Dance'' producer Nile Rodgers, confirmed Bowie's return to popularity, topping the UK chart and spawning three top 40 hits, including the top 10 single "[[Jump They Say]]".{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=301–308}} Bowie explored new directions on ''[[The Buddha of Suburbia (album)|The Buddha of Suburbia]]'' (1993), which began as a soundtrack album for the BBC television adaptation of [[Hanif Kureishi]]'s novel ''[[The Buddha of Suburbia (novel)|The Buddha of Suburbia]]'' before turning into a full album; only the title track "[[The Buddha of Suburbia (song)|The Buddha of Suburbia]]" was used in the programme.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 8}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=421–423}} Referencing his 1970s works with pop, jazz, ambient and experimental material,{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 8}}{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=421–425}}{{sfn|Perone|2007|pp=112–114}} it received a low-key release, had almost no promotion and flopped commercially, reaching number 87 in the UK.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=421–423}} Nevertheless, it later received critical praise as Bowie's "lost great album".{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=421–425}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2007/oct/24/catchofthedaybowiesgreat |last=Hooper |first=Mark |title=Catch of the day: Bowie's great lost album |work=The Guardian |date=24 October 2007 |access-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008113303/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2007/oct/24/catchofthedaybowiesgreat |archive-date=8 October 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:David Bowie 1997.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A man singing into a microphone|Bowie performing in [[Turku]], Finland, 1997]]
Reuniting Bowie with Eno, the quasi-industrial ''[[Outside (David Bowie album)|Outside]]'' (1995) was originally conceived as the first volume in a non-linear narrative of art and murder. Featuring characters from a short story written by Bowie, the album achieved UK and US chart success and yielded three top 40 UK singles.{{sfn|Buckley|2000|pp=623–624}} In a move that provoked mixed reactions from both fans and critics, Bowie chose [[Nine Inch Nails]] as his tour partner for the [[Outside Tour]]. Visiting cities in Europe and North America between September 1995 and February 1996, the tour saw the return of Gabrels as Bowie's guitarist.{{sfn|Buckley|2000|pp=512–513}} On 7&nbsp;January 1997, Bowie celebrated his half century with a 50th birthday concert at [[Madison Square Garden]] at which he was joined in playing his songs and those of his guests, Lou Reed, [[Dave Grohl]] and the [[Foo Fighters]], [[Robert Smith (musician)|Robert Smith]] of [[the Cure]], [[Billy Corgan]] of [[the Smashing Pumpkins]], [[Black Francis]] of the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], and [[Sonic Youth]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=David Bowie Birthday Celebration Live Album an Unauthorized Bootleg|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/03/david-bowie-to-release-live-album-featuring-foo-fi.html|magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=21 March 2011|first=Nathan|last=Spicer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324060634/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/03/david-bowie-to-release-live-album-featuring-foo-fi.html|archive-date=24 March 2011}}</ref>

Incorporating experiments in [[Jungle music|jungle]] and [[drum 'n' bass]], ''[[Earthling (David Bowie album)|Earthling]]'' (1997) was a critical and commercial success in the UK and the US, and two singles from the album—"[[Little Wonder (David Bowie song)|Little Wonder]]" and "[[Dead Man Walking (David Bowie song)|Dead Man Walking]]"—became UK top 40 hits.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=430–433}} The song "[[I'm Afraid of Americans]]" from the [[Paul Verhoeven]] film ''[[Showgirls]]'' was re-recorded for the album, and remixed by [[Trent Reznor]] for a single release. The heavy rotation of the accompanying video, also featuring Reznor, contributed to the song's 16-week stay in the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=128–129}} Bowie received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on 12&nbsp;February 1997.<ref>{{cite web |title=David Bowie Launches New Album 'earthling' With Network Television Appearances, A Pay-per-view Concert, A National Radio Broadcast, And Star On Hollywood Blvd's Walk Of Fame |website=David Bowie Official Website |url=https://www.davidbowie.com/1997/1997/01/30/david-bowie-launches-new-album-earthling-with-network-television-appearances-a-pay-per-view-concert-a-national-radio-broadcast-and-star-on-hollywood-blvds-walk-of-fame |url-status=live |date=30 January 1997 |access-date=5 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113001444/https://www.davidbowie.com/1997/1997/01/30/david-bowie-launches-new-album-earthling-with-network-television-appearances-a-pay-per-view-concert-a-national-radio-broadcast-and-star-on-hollywood-blvds-walk-of-fame |archive-date=13 January 2020 }}</ref> The [[Earthling Tour]] took place in Europe and North America between June and November.{{sfn|Buckley|2000|pp=533–534}} In November, Bowie performed on the BBC's [[Children in Need]] charity single "[[Perfect Day 97|Perfect Day]]", which reached number one in the UK.<ref>{{cite news|last=de Lisle|first=Tim|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/oh-its-such-a-perfect-song-1293130.html|title=Oh, it's such a perfect song|newspaper=The Independent|date=9 November 1997|access-date=13 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129175607/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/oh-it-s-such-a-perfect-song-1293130.html|archive-date=29 November 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Bowie reunited with Visconti in 1998 to record "(Safe in This) Sky Life" for ''[[The Rugrats Movie]]''. Although the track was edited out of the final cut, it was later re-recorded and released as "Safe" on the B-side of Bowie's 2002 single "[[Everyone Says 'Hi']]{{-"}}.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 11}} The reunion led to other collaborations with his old producer, including a limited-edition single release version of [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]]'s track "[[Without You I'm Nothing (song)|Without You I'm Nothing]]" with Bowie's harmonised vocal added to the original recording.{{sfn|Thompson|2006|pp=203, 212}}

===1999–2012: Neoclassicist era===
[[File:Heathen Tour Bowie and Sterling Campbell.jpg|thumb|alt=Two men on a stage. One is next to a microphone. The other is sitting behind a drum set.|Bowie on stage with [[Sterling Campbell]] during the [[Heathen Tour]], 2002]]
Bowie, with Gabrels, created the soundtrack for ''[[Omikron: The Nomad Soul]]'', a 1999 computer game in which he and Iman also voiced characters based on their likenesses. Released the same year and containing re-recorded tracks from ''Omikron'', his album ''[[Hours (David Bowie album)|Hours]]'' featured a song with lyrics by the winner of his "Cyber Song Contest" Internet competition, Alex Grant.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=466}} Making extensive use of live instruments, the album was Bowie's exit from heavy electronica.{{sfn|Perone|2007|p=125}} ''Hours'' and a performance on ''[[VH1 Storytellers (David Bowie album)|VH1 Storytellers]]'' in mid-1999 represented the end of Gabrels' association with Bowie as a performer and songwriter.<ref name="wmmr">{{cite web |title=David Bowie: How Tin Machine Saved Him From Soft Rock |url=https://wmmr.com/2019/05/22/david-bowie-how-tin-machine-saved-him-from-soft-rock/ |publisher=WMMR |url-status=live |date=22 May 2019 |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701162659/https://wmmr.com/2019/05/22/david-bowie-how-tin-machine-saved-him-from-soft-rock/ |archive-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> Sessions for ''[[Toy (David Bowie album)|Toy]]'', a planned collection of remakes of tracks from Bowie's 1960s period, commenced in 2000, but was shelved due to EMI/[[Virgin Records|Virgin]]'s lack of faith in its commercial appeal.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=438–440}} Bowie and Visconti continued their collaboration, producing a new album of completely original songs instead: the result of the sessions was the 2002 album ''[[Heathen (David Bowie album)|Heathen]]''.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=488–489}}

On 25&nbsp;June 2000, Bowie made his second appearance at the [[Glastonbury Festival]] in England, playing almost 30 years after his first.{{efn|He first played at Glastonbury in June 1971 shortly after the ''Hunky Dory'' sessions commenced. Performing alone, his set was warmly received.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=537–538}}}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Bowie ends 'best-ever' Glastonbury |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/805739.stm |url-status=live |work=BBC News |date=26 June 2000 |access-date=13 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904005617/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/805739.stm |archive-date=4 September 2016}}</ref> The performance was released as a [[Glastonbury 2000|live album]] in November 2018.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Blisten |first=Jon |title=David Bowie's Glastonbury 2000 Set Getting Full Release |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/davie-bowie-glastonbury-2000-set-concert-film-album-release-732202/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=2 October 2018 |access-date=16 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224175720/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/davie-bowie-glastonbury-2000-set-concert-film-album-release-732202/ |archive-date=24 February 2020}}</ref> On 27&nbsp;June, he performed a concert at the [[Broadcasting House|BBC Radio Theatre]] in London, which was released on the compilation album ''[[Bowie at the Beeb]]''; this also featured BBC recording sessions from 1968 to 1972.{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=257}} Bowie and Iman's daughter, Alexandra, was born on 15&nbsp;August.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=485}} His interest in Buddhism led him to support the [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan]] cause by performing at the February 2001 and February 2003 concerts to support [[Tibet House US]] at [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York.<ref name="lifetimeinterest">{{cite web |last1=Sawer |first1=Patrick |last2=McNulty |first2=Bernadette |title=David Bowie's lifetime interest in Buddhism to culminate in Bali scattering of his ashes |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/12131199/Bowie-wanted-ashes-scattered-in-Bali.html |access-date=24 September 2019 |work=The Telegraph |date=30 January 2016 |archive-date=24 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924154946/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/12131199/Bowie-wanted-ashes-scattered-in-Bali.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Dansby |first=Andrew |title=Bowie Back in Tibet House |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bowie-back-in-tibet-house-179077/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=9 January 2003 |access-date=24 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924154942/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bowie-back-in-tibet-house-179077/ |archive-date=24 September 2019}}</ref>

[[File:David Bowie (135687113).jpeg|thumb|left|alt=A man performing on a stage to a crowd of people|Bowie performing in Dublin, Ireland, in November 2003 during the [[A Reality Tour]]—his final concert tour]]
In October 2001, Bowie opened [[the Concert for New York City]], a charity event to benefit the victims of the [[September 11 attacks]], with a minimalist performance of [[Simon & Garfunkel]]'s "[[America (Simon & Garfunkel song)|America]]", followed by a full band performance of "{{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}".{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=491}} 2002 saw the release of ''Heathen'', and, during the second half of the year, the [[Heathen Tour]]. Taking place in Europe and North America, the tour opened at London's annual ''[[Meltdown (festival)|Meltdown]]'' festival, for which Bowie was that year appointed artistic director. Among the acts he selected for the festival were Philip Glass, [[Television (band)|Television]] and [[the Dandy Warhols]]. As well as songs from the new album, the tour featured material from Bowie's ''Low'' era.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=493–495}} ''[[Reality (David Bowie album)|Reality]]'' (2003) followed, and its accompanying world tour, the [[A Reality Tour]], with an estimated attendance of 722,000, grossed more than any other in 2004. On 13&nbsp;June, Bowie headlined the last night of the [[Isle of Wight Festival 2004]].{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 13}} On 25&nbsp;June, he experienced chest pain while performing at the [[Hurricane Festival]] in [[Scheeßel]], Germany. Originally thought to be a pinched nerve in his shoulder, the pain was later diagnosed as an acutely blocked [[Coronary circulation|coronary artery]], requiring an emergency [[angioplasty]] in Hamburg. The remaining fourteen dates of the tour were cancelled.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=504–505}}

In the years following his recuperation from the heart attack, Bowie reduced his musical output, making only one-off appearances on stage and in the studio. He sang in a duet of his 1971 song "[[Changes (David Bowie song)|Changes]]" with [[Butterfly Boucher]] for the 2004 animated film ''[[Shrek 2]]''.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=58–59}} During a relatively quiet 2005, he recorded the vocals for the song "(She Can) Do That", co-written with [[Brian Transeau]], for the film ''[[Stealth (film)|Stealth]]''.{{sfn|Perone|2007|p=142}} He returned to the stage on 8&nbsp;September 2005, appearing with [[Arcade Fire]] for the US nationally televised event Fashion Rocks, and performed with the Canadian band for the second time a week later during the [[CMJ]] Music Marathon.{{sfn|Thompson|2006|pp=291–292}} He contributed backing vocals on [[TV on the Radio]]'s song "Province" for their album ''[[Return to Cookie Mountain]]'', and joined with [[Lou Reed]] on Danish alt-rockers [[Kashmir (Danish band)|Kashmir]]'s 2005 album ''[[No Balance Palace]]''.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 13}}

[[File:Duncan Jones and David Bowie at the premiere of Moon.jpg|thumb|alt=Two men looking to the left|Bowie with his son [[Duncan Jones]] at the premiere of Jones's directorial debut ''[[Moon (2009 film)|Moon]]'', 2009]]
Bowie was awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] on 8&nbsp;February 2006.{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=293}} In April, he announced, "I'm taking a year off—no touring, no albums."<ref>{{cite web |last=Yuan |first=Jada |title=David Bowie Takes Time Off, Sneaks into Movies |url=https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/16865 |url-status=live |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=1 May 2006 |access-date=16 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206063253/http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/16865/ |archive-date=6 December 2010}}</ref> He made a surprise guest appearance at [[David Gilmour]]'s 29&nbsp;May concert at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 13}} The event was recorded, and a selection of songs on which he had contributed joint vocals were subsequently released. He performed again in November, alongside [[Alicia Keys]], at the Black Ball, a benefit event for [[Keep a Child Alive]] at the [[Hammerstein Ballroom]] in New York. The performance marked the last time Bowie performed his music on stage.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|loc=chap. 6}}

Bowie was chosen to curate the 2007 High Line Festival. The musicians and artists he selected for the [[Manhattan]] event included electronic pop duo [[AIR (French band)|AIR]], surrealist photographer [[Claude Cahun]] and English comedian [[Ricky Gervais]].{{sfn|Schinder|Schwartz|2007|p=500}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Ten Days on a High |url=https://nymag.com/nightlife/features/highline-festival/|work=New York |date=16 January 2016|access-date=21 April 2020|archive-date=19 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819213942/http://nymag.com/nightlife/features/highline-festival/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bowie performed on [[Scarlett Johansson]]'s 2008 album of [[Tom Waits]] covers, ''[[Anywhere I Lay My Head]]''.{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 13}} In June 2008, a [[Live Santa Monica '72|live album]] was released of a Ziggy Stardust-era concert from 1972.<ref>{{cite web |last=Collins |first=Paul |title=Live Santa Monica '72 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1391051 |work=AllMusic |access-date=17 November 2019 |archive-date=10 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110003010/https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-santa-monica-72-mw0000628279 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the 40th anniversary of the [[Apollo program|July 1969 Moon landing]]—and Bowie's accompanying commercial breakthrough with "Space Oddity"—EMI released the individual tracks from the original eight-track studio recording of the song, in a 2009 contest inviting members of the public to create a remix.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-339-1317705 |work=NME |title=David Bowie to release 'Space Oddity' multi-tracks to celebrate moon landing|date=6 July 2009|access-date=2 September 2010|archive-date=23 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523112847/http://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-339-1317705|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[A Reality Tour (album)|live album]] from the A Reality Tour was released in January 2010.<ref>{{cite web |last=Diver |first=Mike |title=David Bowie ''A Reality Tour'' Review |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5gwx |url-status=live |publisher=BBC |date=5 February 2010 |access-date=2 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421175754/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5gwx |archive-date=21 April 2010}}</ref>

In late March 2011, ''Toy'', Bowie's previously unreleased album from 2001, was leaked onto the internet, containing material used for ''Heathen'' and most of its single B-sides, as well as unheard new versions of his early back catalogue.<ref>{{cite news|last=Michaels|first=Sean|title=David Bowie's unreleased album Toy leaks online|newspaper=The Guardian|date=23 March 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/23/david-bowie-toy-album-leak|access-date=25 March 2011|archive-date=2 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102033324/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/23/david-bowie-toy-album-leak|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2013–2016: Final years===
On 8&nbsp;January 2013, his 66th birthday, his website announced a new studio album—his first in a decade—to be titled ''[[The Next Day]]'' and scheduled for release in March;{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|loc=chap. 14}} the announcement was accompanied by the immediate release of the single "[[Where Are We Now?]]".<ref name="nmenextday">{{cite web|title=David Bowie announces first album in 10 years and releases new single |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-300-1265209|work=NME|access-date=8 January 2013|date=8 January 2013|first=Nick|last=Levine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130102908/https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-300-1265209|archive-date=30 January 2017}}</ref> A music video for the single was released onto [[Vimeo]] the same day, directed by New York artist [[Tony Oursler]].<ref name="nmenextday"/> The single topped the UK [[iTunes]] Chart within hours,<ref>{{cite web|title=David Bowie's comeback single rockets to Number One on iTunes|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-299-1265015|work=NME|access-date=8 January 2013|date=8 January 2013|first=Nick|last=Levine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130070021/https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-299-1265015|archive-date=30 January 2017}}</ref> and debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number six,<ref>{{cite web|title=David Bowie secures first Top 10 single in two decades|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/david-bowie-secures-first-top-10-single-in-two-decades__2716/|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=13 January 2013|archive-date=6 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906133952/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/david-bowie-secures-first-top-10-single-in-two-decades__2716/|url-status=live}}</ref> his first single to enter the Top 10 for two decades (since "Jump They Say" in 1993). <!--Please do not edit text to reflect news article's claim that it was Bowie's first single since "Absolute Beginners", second source proves this to be incorrect.--> A second single and video, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", were released at the end of February. Directed by [[Floria Sigismondi]], it stars Bowie and [[Tilda Swinton]] as a married couple.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Stars (Are Out Tonight) video exclusive|url=http://www.davidbowie.com/news/stars-are-out-tonight-video-exclusive-50561 |website=David Bowie Official Website|date=25 February 2013|access-date=26 February 2013|archive-date=1 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301050934/http://www.davidbowie.com/news/stars-are-out-tonight-video-exclusive-50561|url-status=live}}</ref>

Recorded in secret between 2011 and 2012, 29 songs were recorded during the album's sessions, of which 22 saw official release in 2013, including fourteen on the standard album. Three bonus tracks were later packaged with seven outtakes and remixes on ''The Next Day Extra'', released in November.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=461–470}} On 1&nbsp;March, the album was made available to stream for free through iTunes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Phillips|first=Amy|title=Listen to the New David Bowie Album|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49744-listen-to-the-new-david-bowie-album/|access-date=1 March 2013|work=Pitchfork|date=28 February 2013|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413071249/http://pitchfork.com/news/49744-listen-to-the-new-david-bowie-album/|url-status=live}}</ref> Debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart, ''The Next Day'' was his first album to top the chart since ''Black Tie White Noise'', and was the fastest-selling album of 2013 at the time.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Bowie scores first Number 1 album in 20 years|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/david-bowie-scores-first-number-1-album-in-20-years__2877/|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=17 March 2013|archive-date=6 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906133653/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/david-bowie-scores-first-number-1-album-in-20-years__2877/|url-status=live}}</ref> The music video for the song "[[The Next Day (song)|The Next Day]]" created some controversy due to its Christian themes and messages.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=195–198}} According to ''The Times'', Bowie ruled out ever giving an interview again.<ref name="Times">{{cite news |title=Tony Visconti spills the beans on cocaine, AA and sushi with David Bowie |work=[[The Times]] |date=12 January 2013 |last=Teeman |first=Tim |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/tony-visconti-spills-the-beans-on-cocaine-aa-and-sushi-with-david-bowie-cc93v5cjfqh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626214402/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tony-visconti-spills-the-beans-on-cocaine-aa-and-sushi-with-david-bowie-cc93v5cjfqh |archive-date=26 June 2019 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref> Later in 2013, he was featured in a cameo vocal in the Arcade Fire song "[[Reflektor (song)|Reflektor]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/24/arcade-fire-reflektor-voodoo-dance-david-bowie|title=Arcade Fire: Voodoo rhythms, dance music and David Bowie|first=Laura|last=Barton|work=The Guardian|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309053432/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/24/arcade-fire-reflektor-voodoo-dance-david-bowie|archive-date=9 March 2021}}</ref> The success of ''The Next Day'' saw Bowie become the oldest ever recipient of a [[Brit Award]] when he won the award for [[Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist|British Male Solo Artist]] at the [[2014 Brit Awards]], which was collected on his behalf by [[Kate Moss]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26230608 | title= Brit Awards 2014: David Bowie wins best British male trophy | work=BBC News | date=20 February 2014 | access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>

In mid-2014, Bowie was diagnosed with liver cancer, which he kept private.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |last1=Sandle |first1=Paul |last2=Faulconbridge |first2=Guy |title=David Bowie dies after 18-month battle with cancer |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-bowie-death-idUSKCN0UP0KD20160111 |url-status=live |work=[[Reuters]] |date=11 January 2016 |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042053/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-bowie-death-idUSKCN0UP0KD20160111 |archive-date=2 August 2017}}</ref> A new compilation album, ''[[Nothing Has Changed]]'', was released in November. The album featured rare tracks and old material from his catalogue in addition to a new song, "[[Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-news/david-bowie-to-release-retrospective-album-nothing-has-changed-with-single-sue-or-in-a-season-of-crime-in-november-30573204.html|title=David Bowie to release retrospective album 'Nothing has Changed' with single 'Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)' in November|work=Irish Independent|access-date=22 September 2014|first=Anthony|last=Barnes|date=9 September 2014|archive-date=21 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421131628/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-news/david-bowie-to-release-retrospective-album-nothing-has-changed-with-single-sue-or-in-a-season-of-crime-in-november-30573204.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bowie continued working throughout 2015, secretly recording his final album ''[[Blackstar (album)|Blackstar]]'' in New York between January and May.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=471–475}} In August, it was announced that he was writing songs for a [[SpongeBob SquarePants (musical)|Broadway musical]] based on the ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' cartoon series; the final production included a retooled version of "No Control" from ''Outside''.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=200}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-aerosmith-flaming-lips-pen-songs-for-spongebob-musical-20150831|title=David Bowie, Aerosmith, Flaming Lips Pen Songs for 'SpongeBob Musical' |first=Kory |last=Grow |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=31 August 2015|access-date=26 August 2017|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228112258/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-aerosmith-flaming-lips-pen-songs-for-spongebob-musical-20150831|url-status=live}}</ref> September saw the release of the box set ''[[Five Years (1969–1973)]]'', the first in a series of retrospective releases compiling his albums from 1969 to 1973, and a look to his "transition from folk artist to glam-rock legend".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Spanos |first1=Brittany |title=David Bowie to Release Massive Box Set ''Five Years 1969-1973'' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-bowie-to-release-massive-box-set-five-years-1969-1973-63033/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=28 November 2024|date=23 June 2015}}</ref> He also wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television series ''[[The Last Panthers]]'', which aired in November.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|title=David Bowie Records Theme Song for 'Last Panthers' Series|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-records-theme-song-for-last-panthers-series-20150922|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=23 September 2015|date=22 September 2015|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228112321/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-records-theme-song-for-last-panthers-series-20150922|url-status=live}}</ref> The theme that was used for ''The Last Panthers'' was also the [[Blackstar (song)|title track]] for ''Blackstar''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Carley |first=Brennan |title=David Bowie Will Reportedly Release New Album, 'Blackstar,' in January |url=https://www.spin.com/2015/10/david-bowie-blackstar-new-album-january-2016-the-times/|magazine=Spin (magazine)|date=24 October 2015|access-date=11 January 2016|archive-date=29 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129213846/https://www.spin.com/2015/10/david-bowie-blackstar-new-album-january-2016-the-times/|url-status=live}}</ref> On 7&nbsp;December, Bowie's musical ''[[Lazarus (musical)|Lazarus]]'' debuted in New York; he made his final public appearance at its opening night.<ref>{{cite news|title=Last Pictures of David Bowie: Icon Looked in Good Spirits at Final Public Appearance a Month Ago|url=https://people.com/celebrity/david-bowies-final-public-appearance-before-death/|work=People|date=23 February 2016|first=Char|last=Adams|access-date=8 April 2021|archive-date=18 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118182125/http://people.com/celebrity/david-bowies-final-public-appearance-before-death/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Blackstar'' was released on 8&nbsp;January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday, and was met with critical acclaim.<ref name="MCblackstar">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/blackstar/david-bowie |title=Reviews for ''Blackstar'' by David Bowie |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=27 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227011333/http://www.metacritic.com/music/blackstar/david-bowie |archive-date=27 December 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Death of David Bowie|He died two days later]], after which Visconti revealed that Bowie had planned the album to be his [[swan song]], and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12092542/Bowies-last-album-was-parting-gift-for-fans-in-carefully-planned-finale.html|title=David Bowie's last release, 'Lazarus', was 'parting gift' for fans in carefully planned finale|date=11 January 2016|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=Furness|first=Hannah|access-date=12 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325201617/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12092542/Bowies-last-album-was-parting-gift-for-fans-in-carefully-planned-finale.html|archive-date=25 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Several reporters and critics subsequently noted that most of the lyrics on the album seem to revolve around his impending death,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Payne|first=Chris|title=David Bowie's Final Album ''Blackstar'' & 'Lazarus' Video Were Goodbye Notes|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6836563/david-bowie-blackstar-goodbye-note-death-lazarus-2016|magazine=Billboard|date=11 January 2016|access-date=13 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113202859/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6836563/david-bowie-blackstar-goodbye-note-death-lazarus-2016|archive-date=13 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> with [[CNN]] noting that the album "reveals a man who appears to be grappling with his own mortality".<ref>{{cite news|last=Griggs|first=Brandon|title=''Blackstar'': Haunting final album hints at David Bowie's death|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/entertainment/david-bowie-blackstar-lazarus-death-meaning-feat/|publisher=CNN|access-date=12 January 2020|date=13 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114022707/http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/entertainment/david-bowie-blackstar-lazarus-death-meaning-feat|archive-date=14 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Visconti also said that he had been planning a follow-up album, and had written and recorded demos of five songs in his final weeks, suggesting he believed he had a few months left.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-planned-post-blackstar-album-thought-he-had-few-more-months-20160113|title=David Bowie Planned Post-''Blackstar'' Album, 'Thought He Had Few More Months'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Hiatt|first=Brian|date=13 January 2016|access-date=14 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116021952/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-planned-post-blackstar-album-thought-he-had-few-more-months-20160113|archive-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for [[Vevo]]'s [[Vevo#Record holders|most viewed artist in a single day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/124452/20160114/david-bowie-breaks-vevo-record-51-million-video-views-one.htm|quote=Bowie's catalog generated 51 million video views on Vevo on Monday, Jan. 11, the day after he died, making him the most viewed artist in a single day in the video-streaming platform's history, the company reported Thursday morning via a press release.|first=Mark|last=Lelinwalla|title=David Bowie Breaks Vevo Record with 51 Million Video Views in One Day|work=Tech Times|date=14 January 2016|access-date=16 January 2016|archive-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194719/http://www.techtimes.com/articles/124452/20160114/david-bowie-breaks-vevo-record-51-million-video-views-one.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Blackstar'' debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/david-bowie-is-the-starman-of-this-weeks-official-chart-as-the-nation-pays-tribute-to-a-music-icon__13562/|title=David Bowie is the Starman of this week's Official Chart as the nation pays tribute to a music icon|date=15 January 2016|website=Official Charts Company|first=Rob|last=Copsey|access-date=16 January 2016|archive-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205143646/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/david-bowie-is-the-starman-of-this-weeks-official-chart-as-the-nation-pays-tribute-to-a-music-icon__13562/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/15/david-bowie-dominates-uk-album-charts-blackstar-adele|title=David Bowie dominates UK album charts as latest album hits No 1|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Harriet|last=Gibsone|date=15 January 2016|access-date=15 January 2016|quote=Elsewhere, 19 Bowie albums and 13 singles have entered the top 100|archive-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194718/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/15/david-bowie-dominates-uk-album-charts-blackstar-adele|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Blackstar'' also debuted at number one on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite news|title=David Bowie's final album Blackstar rockets to top of charts|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/bowie-last-album-rockets-to-top-of-british-charts/7092934|website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]|date=17 January 2016|access-date=17 January 2016|archive-date=17 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117024324/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-16/bowie-last-album-rockets-to-top-of-british-charts/7092934|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|title=David Bowie's ''Blackstar'' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6844036/david-bowie-blackstar-album-debuts-no-1-on-billboard-200-charts|magazine=Billboard|date=17 January 2016|access-date=17 January 2016|archive-date=17 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117192649/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6844036/david-bowie-blackstar-album-debuts-no-1-on-billboard-200-charts|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Posthumous releases===
In September 2016, ''[[Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)]]'', the second retrospective box set, was released covering Bowie's mid-1970s soul period; it included ''The Gouster'', a previously unreleased 1974 album that evolved into ''Young Americans''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Slate |first=Jeff |title=The Making of David Bowie's Lost Soul Album |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a48869/the-making-of-david-bowies-lost-soul-album/ |url-status=live |website=Esquire |date=23 September 2016 |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428204202/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a48869/the-making-of-david-bowies-lost-soul-album/ |archive-date=28 April 2019}}</ref> An EP, ''[[No Plan (EP)|No Plan]]'', was released on 8&nbsp;January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday.<ref>{{cite web |last=Young |first=Alex |title=Final David Bowie songs collected on new EP released for his 70th birthday |url=https://consequence.net/2017/01/final-david-bowie-songs-collected-on-new-ep-released-for-his-70th-birthday/ |url-status=live |website=Consequence of Sound |date=8 January 2017 |access-date=8 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523182154/https://consequence.net/2017/01/final-david-bowie-songs-collected-on-new-ep-released-for-his-70th-birthday/ |archive-date=23 May 2017}}</ref> Apart from "Lazarus", the EP includes three songs that Bowie recorded during the ''Blackstar'' sessions, but were left off the album and appeared on the [[Lazarus (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]] for the ''Lazarus'' musical in October 2016.<ref name="noplan2">{{cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |title=Watch David Bowie's Mysterious 'No Plan' Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-david-bowies-mysterious-no-plan-video-w459603 |magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=8 January 2017|date=8 January 2017|archive-date=5 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105233625/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-david-bowies-mysterious-no-plan-video-w459603|url-status=live}}</ref> A music video for the title track was also released.<ref name="noplan2"/> In 2017, a third retrospective box set, ''[[A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)]]'', was released, comprising his "Berlin" era.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy Highlights 11-Disc Box Set |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-bowies-berlin-trilogy-highlights-11-disc-box-set-205754/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=28 November 2024|date=12 July 2017}}</ref> Through the following year, a series of posthumous live albums, ''[[Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)]]'', ''[[Live Nassau Coliseum '76]]'' and ''[[Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Randle |first=Chris |title=David Bowie: ''Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)'' Album Review |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/david-bowie-cracked-actor-live-los-angeles-74/ |url-status=live |website=Pitchfork |date=29 June 2017 |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711225233/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/david-bowie-cracked-actor-live-los-angeles-74/ |archive-date=11 July 2017}}</ref> In the two years following his death, Bowie sold five million records in the UK alone.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/david-bowie-forever-record-sales-blackstar-hunky-dory-life-on-mars-best-songs-albums-tributes-a8151181.html|title=Two years since his death, Bowie is still selling millions of records|date=10 January 2018|work=The Independent|access-date=27 January 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=28 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128021335/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/david-bowie-forever-record-sales-blackstar-hunky-dory-life-on-mars-best-songs-albums-tributes-a8151181.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In their top 10 list for the [[Global Recording Artist of the Year]], the [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] named Bowie the second-bestselling artist worldwide in 2016, behind [[Drake (musician)|Drake]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Brandle|first=Lars|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7685065/drake-ifpi-global-recording-artist-2016|title=Drake Named IFPI Global Recording Artist of 2016|magazine=Billboard|date=8 February 2017|access-date=22 March 2020|archive-date=14 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814182124/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7685065/drake-ifpi-global-recording-artist-2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the [[59th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 2017, Bowie won all five nominated awards: [[Best Rock Performance]]; [[Best Alternative Music Album]]; [[Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical]]; [[Best Recording Package]]; and [[Best Rock Song]]. They were Bowie's first Grammy wins in musical categories.<ref name=59thGA>{{cite news|last=Kelley|first=Seth|url=https://variety.com/2017/music/news/grammys-david-bowie-wins-early-1201986057/|title=David Bowie's 'Blackstar' Wins All Five Nominated Categories at 2017 Grammys|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=12 February 2017|access-date=12 February 2017|archive-date=20 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220105444/http://variety.com/2017/music/news/grammys-david-bowie-wins-early-1201986057/|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2018, ''[[Loving the Alien (1983–1988)]]'', the fourth retrospective box set comprising his releases during the 1980s, was released.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kaye |first1=Ben |title=New 80's-era David Bowie box set, Loving the Alien, to feature unreleased music |url=https://consequence.net/2018/07/david-bowie-80s-box-set/ |website=Consequence |access-date=28 November 2024|date=18 July 2018}}</ref> On 8&nbsp;January 2020, on what would have been Bowie's 73rd birthday, a previously unreleased version of "The Man Who Sold the World" was released and two releases were announced: a streaming-only EP, ''[[Is It Any Wonder? (EP)|Is It Any Wonder?]]'', and an album, ''[[ChangesNowBowie]]'', released in November 2020 for [[Record Store Day]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Prisco |first=Jacopo |title=Rare and unreleased music by David Bowie is coming this year |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/david-bowie-posthumous-albums-2020/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=9 January 2020 |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-date=9 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109152343/https://www.cnn.com/style/article/david-bowie-posthumous-albums-2020/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In August, another series of live shows were released, including sets from Dallas in 1995 and Paris in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tan |first=Emily |title=David Bowie's Something in the Air (Live Paris 99) Set for Digital Release |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/david-bowie-something-air-live-142502384.html |website=Yahoo! Entertainment |date=6 August 2020 |access-date=6 August 2020 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022230607/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/david-bowie-something-air-live-142502384.html |url-status=live }}</ref> These and other shows, part of a series of live concerts spanning his tours from 1995 to 1999, was released in late 2020 and early 2021 as part of the box set ''[[Brilliant Live Adventures]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theseconddisc.com/2021/02/24/ch-ch-ch-changes-david-bowies-brilliant-live-adventures-series-continues-with-live-paris-99/ |title=Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: David Bowie's 'Brilliant Live Adventures' Series Continues with 'Live Paris 99' |website=The Second Disc |date=24 February 2021 |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224191120/https://theseconddisc.com/2021/02/24/ch-ch-ch-changes-david-bowies-brilliant-live-adventures-series-continues-with-live-paris-99/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 2021, Bowie's estate signed a distribution deal with [[Warner Music Group]], beginning in 2023, covering Bowie's recordings from 2000 through 2016.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Brandle|first=Lars|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/record-labels/9630897/david-bowie-catalog-deal-warner-music|title=David Bowie Estate and Warner Music Partner to Bring Icon's Entire Catalog to Label|magazine=Billboard|date=16 September 2021|access-date=16 September 2021|archive-date=16 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916133652/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/record-labels/9630897/david-bowie-catalog-deal-warner-music/|url-status=live}}</ref> That November, the fifth retrospective box set, ''[[Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)]]'', was released, comprising his albums from the decade of 1990, and the official release of his album ''Toy''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sinclair |first1=Paul |title=Next David Bowie era box confirmed as 'Brilliant Adventure 1992-2001' |url=https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/next-david-bowie-era-box-confirmed-as-brilliant-adventure-1992-2001/ |website=Super Deluxe Edition |access-date=28 November 2024|date=18 September 2021}}</ref> The latter, which was recorded in 2000, was released separatedly on what would have been Bowie's 75th birthday.<ref>{{cite news|title=David Bowie: 'Lost' album Toy set for birthday release|work=BBC News|date=29 September 2021|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58739175|url-status=live|access-date=29 September 2021|archive-date=29 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929164100/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58739175}}</ref> On 3&nbsp;January 2022, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that Bowie's estate had sold his publishing catalogue to [[Warner Chappell Music]], "for a price upwards of $250 million".<ref>{{cite web |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=3 January 2022|title=David Bowie's Estate Sells His Publishing Catalog to Warner Chappell (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/david-bowie-publishing-catalog-acquired-warner-chappell-1235145941/|access-date=3 January 2022|website=Variety|archive-date=3 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103134743/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/david-bowie-publishing-catalog-acquired-warner-chappell-1235145941/|url-status=live}}</ref>